Wednesday

Brora, Golspie and Loch Fleet.

 

Today we head “way up North” to the beautiful Loch Fleet, taking in Brora and Golspie, we may even pay a visit to Hawaii! (this little surprise will be revealed on the day!)

Starting at the quaint village of Brora, we explore the River mouth, a great place to see Little Gulls, along with Knot, Purple Sandpiper, Turnstone, Dunlin and Redshanks.  Offshore flocks of Long Tailed Ducks and Eiders mingle with Cormorant and Shags. A great way to start this full day Birding tour in the true Scottish Highlands.

Purple Sandpipers

Heading down the coastline, through Golspie where we stop to look for Divers, Auks and in particular Scoters where a rare American Surf Scoter may keep company with the more regular Common and Velvets, soon we arrive at the stunning Loch Fleet. Here we meander around the southern end of the Loch, an area with ample pull over and parking spots. Large rafts of Red Breasted Mergansers winter here along with Wigeon, Teal, Oystercatchers and Shelducks to name a few, it is also a great location to pick up the elegant Greenshank the larger, paler cousin of the more common Redshank. A couple of set aside fields near to the Loch give a great chance of Twite, Linnet, Chaffinch and perhaps a lingering Brambling.  It has also recently been home to a stunning Drake King Eider…. An added bonus!

Accessibility: No accessibility issues on this tour.

White Tailed Eagle hunting ducks at Loch Fleet

Pick up 08:30 – Drop off 16:30/17:00

      Thursday

      Highland Birds

Red Grouse

This is a “must do” trip when you visit the Highland of Scotland!  The day starts off with a visit to a traditional Black Grouse Lek, and at the same time the “Go Back Go Back Go Back” calls of its Red Cousin fill the air.

Snow Bunting

A short drive away we will hopefully find our local Snow Buntings, feeding on the lower slopes and building up their fat reserves before the impending breeding season, a lot of the males will be sporting almost full summer plumage, a striking bird!

Slavonian Grebes

Calling in at a local lochan we will check for the early arrival of a local specialty, that being the beautiful, colourful and charismatic Slavonian Grebe, before heading to what has to be one of the most beautiful valleys in Scotland, and it is here we will search for two of the “Big Ones” they are White Tailed and Golden Eagles.  This area is probably the most productive sites in this part of Scotland to see these iconic birds, and the reason they are here?  Herds of Red Deer roam the hillside, Britain largest land mammal is very common as its it smaller relative the Roe Deer, we may even stumble across the secretive Sika deer. White Mountain Hare, Brown Hare, Feral Goats and Red squirrel are also often encountered.

Pick up 08:30 – Drop off 16:30/17:00

Accessibility: No accessibility issues on this tour.

A sleepy Mountain Hare!

Friday

Give yourself a treat!  Enjoy a long lie before you head down for your last breakfast, sit back and enjoy the memories of the past two full days birding in the glorious Scottish Highlands, and start planning your next trip North!

A fantastic break for just £595 per person

***Early Bird offer***

 Now only £565 per person

So what is included?:

3 nights Full board (Dinner, Bed and Breakfast)

2 Full days Birding.

Maximum group size of 4

Delicious packed Lunch on Wednesday and Thursday

Tea/Coffee morning and afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday

All transport on outings

All guiding fees.

Complimentary Checklist

Use of binoculars if required.

What’s not included:

Transport to and from Hotel

Drinks at hotel

Personal insurance

Travel Insurance (Recommended)

Items of a personal nature

Interested?  Then please feel free to contact Birding Ecosse for more information or to book your place.